Although the weather was dark and gloomy, conditions couldn’t have been better for the UO Bike Program.
On Wednesday, the program hosted “Bike in the Rain: A Celebration of Wet Weather Bike Transportation,” to promote bike riding and commuting year-round, giving students the opportunity to learn more about the UO Bike Program and its services, including its new short-term bike loan program.
The event took place from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the EMU Amphitheater and featured a keynote address by Cycle Oregon’s Jerry Norquist, live music by musician Stephan Nance and a rain gear fashion show. Students could participate in a community bike ride around downtown, power an amplifier by pedaling on an electricity-generating bicycle, and compete for a rain jacket in a “track stand” competition. Mechanics from Collin’s Cycle Shop and the UO Bike Program were there to repair bicycles and offer advice to students who were curious about bike repair and maintenance.
Event organizer and UO Bike Program coordinator Ted Sweeney was happy the weather stayed as overcast as it did.
“I couldn’t have asked for better weather than what we’ve seen today,” Sweeney said. “It’s just on the verge of being very bad. It gets people in the mind-set, like, ‘Would I want to ride my bike if it looked like this? Would I want to have a fender? Would I put on my rain jacket?’ We’re in the head space of riding in the rain.”
University graduate assistant Sarah Praskievicz, who brought her bike with her to have its chains tightened, was excited to attend the event.
“We’re so lucky in Eugene to have so many great bike paths and so many great places to bike to, and I think we’re also really lucky that we have a climate that allows you to ride year-round, because it doesn’t get too cold, it doesn’t get too much snow and all you need to ride around is some really good rain gear.”
The program also aimed to publicize the bike program’s new cargo bicycles, which were provided by a grant through Specialized Bicycle Components and are to be used for the short-term bike loan program that will allow students to rent bicycles and rain gear for individual days rather than for a full term.
“They’re very nice bikes, especially for people who need to haul anything,” Praskievicz said. “The setup they have for strapping stuff to them is really great.”
Zane Miller came to the celebration as a volunteer student mechanic and left as the victor of the event’s “track stand” competition, which required him to balance on top of his bike without moving. Miller didn’t expect to participate and was surprised he won.
“I’m super stoked,” said Miller. “I didn’t think I was nearly as good at (executing track stands) as I am.”
Sweeney said the event was successful at making students more aware of the UO Bike Program.
“We’ve definitely raised our profile on campus today,” Sweeney said.
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